Monday, July 20, 2009

The secret to success

Now that we're in the dog days of summer -- the NHL Draft and the opening of free agency behind us -- we have plenty of time to play general manager of an NHL team. We can ask ourselves whether our team's top pick will be NHL-ready or will he need more seasoning? Another big question, I believe, is can a pressing need be filled with a free agent.

Either way, we can only fantasize -- from a hockey fan's viewpoint, that is -- that we can call the shots as we build our NHL team. To me, though, the most-pressing decision any GM can make is how the team is put together. Does one build through the draft or stock the lineup with free agents? Maybe a combination of both?

According to Hound Central 4.0 readers, it takes a combination of both -- shrewd draft picks and sensible free agent signings -- to build an NHL club. Pretty sound advice, don't you think?

Question: What's the best way to build an NHL team?

Bit of both: 16 out 27 votes cast (59.3 percent)
Through the draft: 10 out 27 votes (37 percent)
Free-agent signings: 1 out 27 votes (3.7 percent)

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